
sonar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
sonar — to ring
The imperfect subjunctive of sonar is regular: sonara, sonaras, sonara, sonáramos, sonarais, sonaran.
sonar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this in 'if' clauses (e.g., 'if it sounded better...') or when the main verb triggering the subjunctive is in the past.
Notes on sonar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Sonar is regular here. It is based on the preterite 3rd person plural (sonaron), removing the -ron and adding the endings.
Example Sentences
Si la alarma sonara, nos habríamos despertado.
If the alarm had rung, we would have woken up.
él/ella/usted
Yo quería que las guitarras sonaran más fuerte.
I wanted the guitars to sound louder.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Fue una pena que no sonaras la campana.
It was a pity that you didn't ring the bell.
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'suenara'.
Correct: sonara
Why: The imperfect subjunctive never uses the present tense stem change; it always follows the preterite stem.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'sonar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: sueno
Sonar is a stem-changing verb where the 'o' becomes 'ue' in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: soné
The preterite of sonar is regular: soné, sonaste, sonó, sonamos, sonasteis, sonaron.
Imperfect
yo: sonaba
The imperfect of sonar is regular: sonaba, sonabas, sonaba, sonábamos, sonabais, sonaban.
Future
yo: sonaré
The future of sonar is regular: sonaré, sonarás, sonará, sonaremos, sonaréis, sonarán.
Conditional
yo: sonaría
The conditional of sonar is regular: sonaría, sonarías, sonaría, sonaríamos, sonaríais, sonarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: suene
The present subjunctive of sonar features the o > ue stem change: suene, suenes, suene, sonemos, sonéis, suenen.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ¡Suena!
Use the imperative to command someone to make something sound: ¡suena! (tú), ¡suene! (usted), ¡sonad! (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: ¡No suenes!
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive forms: no suenes, no suene, no sonemos, no sonéis, no suenen.